“I think she’s a good pick,” said Lonegan, who lost the Republican gubernatorial nomination to Chris Christie last month but has not exactly gone quietly.

“She’s central Jersey, she’s pretty solid. She doesn’t have a lot of baggage, I don’t think,” he said.

When asked whether he views Guadagno as a conservative, Lonegan said he “believes so,” but has not discussed the issues with her enough to know for sure.

The other three candidates on Christie’s short list – Bergen County Clerk Kathe Donovan, state Sen. Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park) and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick – are all moderates. In other words, they're anathema to movement conservatives like Lonegan.

“Something Chris said is he’s going to pick a lieutenant governor who reflects his belief. So the question is do Kathe Donovan and Diane Allen reflect his beliefs? Only the candidate can make that decision,” said Lonegan.

Still, Lonegan said, political junkies are probably putting too much stock in the number-two spot selection, since it won’t likely make much of a difference on election day. And he was hesitant to weigh in much more on the issue.

“I think I’ll wait to see how he picks. I created enough fuss just writing a simple column that got so much attention,” he said.